# 1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season

The 1939–40 NCAA men's basketball season began in December 1939, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1940 NCAA basketball tournament Championship Game on March 30, 1940, at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The Indiana Hoosiers won their first NCAA national championship with a 60–42 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

## Rule changes

After a foul, teams received the option of either taking a free throw or taking the ball at mid-court.

## Season headlines

* College basketball was televised for the first time when W2XBS broadcast a doubleheader played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on February 28, 1940. In the first game, Pittsburgh defeated Fordham 50–37, and in the second game New York University defeated Georgetown 50–27.
* Duquesne became the first school to play in both the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA tournament. The Dukes finished as runner-up in the NIT and lost in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.
* In its second year, the NCAA tournament turned a profit (of $9,500) for the first time.
* In February 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively selected USC as its national champion for the 1939–40 season.
* In 1995, the Premo-Porretta Power Poll retroactively selected Indiana as its national champion for the 1939–40 season.

## Conference membership changes

| School | Former conference | New conference |
| Brooklyn Bulldogs | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Carnegie Tech Tartans | Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | Non-major basketball program |
| CCNY Beavers | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Columbia Lions | Metropolitan New York Conference | See note |
| Fordham Rams | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Georgetown Hoyas | Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | Independent |
| Grinnell Pioneers | Missouri Valley Conference | Non-major basketball program |
| Long Island Blackbirds | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Manhattan Jaspers | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| NYU Violets | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Pacific Tigers | Northern California Conference | Non-major basketball program |
| Penn State Nittany Lions | Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | Independent |
| Pittsburgh Panthers | Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | Independent |
| St. Francis (NY) Terriers | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| St. John's Redmen | Metropolitan New York Conference | Independent |
| Saint Mary's (Calif.) Gaels | Northern California Conference | Independent |
| San Francisco Dons | Northern California Conference | Independent |
| San Jose State Spartans | Northern California Conference | Non-major basketball program |
| Santa Clara Broncos | Northern California Conference | Independent |
| Temple Owls | Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | Independent |
| West Virginia Mountaineers | Eastern Intercollegiate Conference | Independent |
NOTE: Columbia left the Metropolitan New York Conference while retaining membership in the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League. It was a member of both from 1933 until 1939.

## Regular season
### Conferences
#### Conference winners and tournaments

| Conference | Regular season winner | Conference player of the year | Conference tournament | Tournament venue (City) | Tournament winner |
| Big Six Conference | Kansas, Missouri, & Oklahoma | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Big Ten Conference | Purdue | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Border Conference | New Mexico State | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League | Dartmouth | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Metropolitan New York Conference | Did not play as conference | Did not play as conference | Did not play as conference | Did not play as conference | Did not play as conference |
| Missouri Valley Conference | Oklahoma A&M | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Mountain States (Skyline) Conference | Colorado | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| New England Conference | Rhode Island State | | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |
| Pacific Coast Conference | Oregon State (North); USC (South) | | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series | No Tournament; USC defeated Oregon State in best-of-three conference championship playoff series |
| Southeastern Conference | Kentucky | None selected | 1940 SEC men's basketball tournament | Alumni Memorial Gym (Knoxville, Tennessee) | Kentucky |
| Southern Conference | Duke | None selected | 1940 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament | Thompson Gym (Raleigh, North Carolina) | North Carolina |
| Southwest Conference | Rice | None selected | No Tournament | No Tournament | No Tournament |

#### Conference standings

1939–40 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings :
| 1939–40 Big Six Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Kansas8–2 .80019–6  .760 Missouri8–2 .80013–6  .684 Oklahoma8–2 .80012–7  .632 Iowa State2–8 .2009–9  .500 Kansas State2–8 .2006–12  .333 Nebraska2–8 .2006–12  .333 | 1939–40 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Purdue10–2 .83316–4  .800 Indiana9–3 .75020–3  .870 Ohio State8–4 .66713–7  .650 Illinois7–5 .58314–6  .700 Northwestern7–5 .58313–7  .650 Michigan6–6 .50013–7  .650 Minnesota5–7 .41712–8  .600 Iowa4–8 .3339–12  .429 Wisconsin3–9 .2505–15  .250 Chicago1–11 .0835–15  .250 | 1939–40 Border Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT New Mexico A&M12–4 .75016–7  .696 Arizona12–4 .75015–10  .600 Texas State M&M10–6 .62515–11  .577 Arizona State–Flagstaff7–9 .4388–12  .400 Arizona State–Tempe7–11 .3898–13  .381 New Mexico1–15 .0633–22  .120 |
| 1939–40 Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Dartmouth11–1 .91715–6  .714 Princeton8–4 .66714–8  .636 Yale7–5 .58313–6  .684 Cornell7–5 .58310–13  .435 Columbia4–8 .3335–12  .294 Harvard3–9 .2505–14  .263 Penn2–10 .1675–13  .278 | 1939–40 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Oklahoma A&M12–0 1.00026–3  .897 Creighton8–4 .66711–9  .550 Drake7–5 .58313–12  .520 Washburn6–6 .5008–8  .500 Tulsa5–7 .41712–15  .444 Washington University2–10 .1677–13  .350 Saint Louis2–10 .1674–14  .222 | 1939–40 Mountain States Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Colorado11–1 .91717–4  .810 Utah8–4 .66719–4  .826 BYU7–5 .58317–8  .680 Utah State7–5 .58311–7  .611 Wyoming3–9 .2506–10  .375 Colorado State3–9 .2506–12  .333 Denver3–9 .2506–15  .286 |
| 1939–40 New England Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rhode Island State 8–0 1.00019–3  .864 Connecticut 6–2 .7509–7  .563 New Hampshire 3–5 .3755–10  .333 Northeastern 3–5 .3754–13  .235 Maine 0–8 .0003–9  .250 | 1939–40 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT North Oregon State12–4 .75027–11  .711 Oregon10–6 .62519–12  .613 Washington State9–7 .56323–10  .697 Washington6–10 .37510–15  .400 Idaho3–13 .18811–15  .423 South USC †10–2 .83320–3  .870 Stanford6–6 .50014–9  .609 California5–7 .41715–17  .469 UCLA3–9 .2508–17  .320 † Conference playoff series winner | 1939–40 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Alabama14–4 .77818–5  .783 Tennessee7–3 .70014–7  .667 Georgia9–4 .69220–6  .769 LSU8–4 .66710–8  .556 Florida5–4 .55613–9  .591 Georgia Tech6–6 .5007–8  .467 Kentucky †4–4 .50015–6  .714 Auburn6–7 .4627–10  .412 Mississippi State4–5 .4449–6  .600 Vanderbilt5–7 .41710–12  .455 Ole Miss3–8 .2739–10  .474 Tulane2–8 .2002–13  .133 Sewanee0–9 .0002–13  .133 † Regular-season championship and SEC Tournament winner |
| 1939–40 Southern Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Duke13–2 .86719–7  .731 North Carolina †11–2 .84623–3  .885 Washington and Lee7–3 .70013–5  .722 Wake Forest10–5 .66713–9  .591 Maryland7–5 .58314–9  .609 Clemson9–7 .5639–12  .429 Richmond5–4 .55611–6  .647 The Citadel6–5 .5458–9  .471 William & Mary6–5 .54512–11  .522 Furman4–6 .40011–11  .500 North Carolina State5–10 .3338–11  .421 Davidson4–11 .2678–13  .381 South Carolina3–10 .2315–13  .278 VMI2–9 .1823–12  .200 Virginia Tech1–9 .1004–15  .211 † Southern Conference Tournament winner | 1939–40 Southwest Conference men's basketball standings vteConfOverall TeamW L PCTW L PCT Rice10–2 .83325–4  .862 Texas8–4 .66718–5  .783 Baylor7–5 .58312–9  .571 Arkansas6–6 .50012–10  .545 Texas A&M5–7 .41711–11  .500 SMU5–7 .4177–13  .350 TCU1–11 .0837–16  .304 |

### Major independents

A total of 66 college teams played as major independents. Seton Hall (19–0) was undefeated, and Marshall (26–3) finished with the most wins.
1939–40 NCAA men's basketball independents standings :
* 1939–40 NCAA men's basketball independents standings
* vteConfOverall
* TeamW L PCTW L PCT
* Seton Hall– –19–0
* 1.000
* NYU– –18–1
* .947
* Marshall– –26–3
* .897
* Villanova– –17–2
* .895
* Duquesne– –20–3
* .870
* Santa Clara– –17–3
* .850
* Indiana State– –15–3
* .833
* LIU– –19–4
* .826
* Toledo– –24–6
* .800
* Western Kentucky State– –24–6
* .800
* DePaul– –22–6
* .786
* Bowling Green State– –16–5
* .762
* Virginia– –16–5
* .762
* Ohio– –19–6
* .760
* St. John's– –15–5
* .750
* Texas Tech– –21–7
* .750
* Butler– –17–6
* .739
* Army– –11–4
* .733
* St. Francis (NY)– –13–5
* .722
* Notre Dame– –15–6
* .714
* Bradley– –14–6
* .700
* Michigan State Normal– –14–6
* .700
* Brown– –13–6
* .684
* George Washington– –13–6
* .684
* West Virginia– –13–6
* .684
* Montana– –17–8
* .680
* Colgate– –12–6
* .667
* Miami (Ohio)– –12–6
* .667
* St. Joseph's– –10–5
* .667
* Penn State– –15–8
* .652
* Bucknell– –13–7
* .650
* St. Bonaventure– –11–6
* .647
* Loyola (Md.)– –14–8
* .636
* Niagara– –12–7
* .632
* Siena– –12–7
* .632
* Detroit– –14–9
* .609
* Manhattan– –14–9
* .609
* La Salle– –12–8
* .600
* Fordham– –11–8
* .579
* Lafayette– –11–8
* .579
* Kent State– –13–10
* .565
* Temple– –13–10
* .565
* Syracuse– –10–8
* .556
* Wichita Municipal– –10–8
* .556
* Muhlenberg– –11–9
* .550
* San Francisco– –9–8
* .529
* Western State Teachers– –10–9
* .526
* Brooklyn– –9–9
* .500
* CCNY– –8–8
* .500
* Canisius– –8–9
* .471
* Cincinnati– –8–9
* .471
* Pittsburgh– –8–9
* .471
* Boston University– –6–7
* .462
* Georgetown– –8–10
* .444
* Marquette– –7–9
* .438
* Holy Cross– –2–3
* .400
* Montana State– –10–16
* .385
* Saint Mary's– –7–12
* .368
* Lehigh– –5–10
* .333
* Valparaiso– –6–14
* .300
* Loyola (Ill.)– –5–14
* .263
* Rutgers– –5–14
* .263
* Xavier– –6–17
* .261
* Navy– –3–11
* .214
* Dayton– –4–17
* .190
* Louisville– –1–18
* .053

### Statistical leaders
## Post-season tournaments
### NCAA tournament
#### Semifinals & final

| National Semifinals | National Semifinals | National Final | National Final |
| Indiana | 39 | | |
| Duquesne | 30 | | |
| Duquesne | 30 | Indiana | 60 |
| | | Kansas | 42 |
| USC | 42 | Kansas | 42 |
| Kansas | 43 | | |

### National Invitation tournament
#### Semifinals & finals

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| Colorado | 52 | | |
| DePaul | 37 | | |
| DePaul | 37 | Colorado | 51 |
| | | Duquesne | 40 |
| Oklahoma A&M | 30 | Duquesne | 40 |
| Duquesne | 34 | Third place | Third place |
| | | DePaul | 22 |
| | | Oklahoma A&M | 23 |

## Awards
### Consensus All-American teams

Consensus First Team :
| Player | Class | Team |
| Gus Broberg | Junior | Dartmouth |
| John Dick | Senior | Oregon |
| George Glamack | Junior | North Carolina |
| Bill Hapac | Senior | Illinois |
| Ralph Vaughn | Senior | USC |
Consensus Second Team :
| Player | Class | Team |
| Jack Harvey | Senior | Colorado |
| Marv Huffman | Senior | Indiana |
| Jimmy McNatt | Senior | Oklahoma |
| Jesse Renick | Senior | Oklahoma A&M |

### Major player of the year awards

* Helms Player of the Year: George Glamack, North Carolina (retroactive selection in 1944)

### Other major awards

* NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Ben Auerbach, NYU